Hot Springs, South Dakota: Mammoth Site: Indoor Boneyard

People have stared at bones in pits ever since there have been bone pits old enough for detached viewing. Yet in recent years it has become an uncertain, even discouraged, activity.

The Mammoth Site provides an excellent presentation and offers an audio tour. There's even a nice, shaded picnic table area off of the parking lot for a lunch break. Small children may not be able to appreciate the total experience, but what a hidden gem of a stop!

Visitors are required to first tour the site with a guide. Tours leave frequently at peak times. Be sure to first watch the informative video hiding behind the curtain on the left side of the waiting area.

A fun and informative stop, especially if you have children who are fascinated by ancient creatures. July is the month to visit because that is when people are actually working on the dig (the rest of the year they are cataloging and researching the material unearthed).

This is the only site in the world with fossils from Columbian and Woolly mammoths. The laboratory in the basement shows volunteers working on the meticulous process of cleaning up the fossils. The tour and new knowledge about mammoths was definitely worth the money!

An actual, working, active excavation of mammoth bones and fossils. Call ahead and reserve a spot for kids to participate in the dig (limited number of spots available). Very good tour all around the dig, plus interesting exhibits about prehistoric life in the area. Fascinating because you are there, watching the scientists work! If you're into archeology you'll love it, and if you're not you'll still find it interesting because the bones that are being dug up are just as the animals fell.